Wine and Health

There are a lot of misconceptions about wine and health.

If you read the popular press you will have read stories that contradict each other and you might be confused as to what the real truth is. For example, only a few months ago there were two articles in the same newspaper only three weeks apart. The first claimed that wine was bad for your health but the second pointed to recent scientific research that showed regular wine drinking was good for the arteries, the heart and improved longevity. So what are you supposed to believe and what is the real truth about wine and health? Let’s look at the hard facts…

Firstly, and somewhat obviously, there is a clear distinction between use and abuse. Wine is something to be savoured and appreciated not drunk in excess. Wine, like any alcohol, needs to be drunk responsibly and not used merely as a quick route to inebriation. To drink wine just to get intoxicated is to miss the enjoyment and subtleties that this unique product has to offer. Not only that but wine drunk to excess can strip the body of vital vitamins and proteins as the body processes the substance.

Wine drunk in moderation, however, can be extremely beneficial to our health and well being.For example, wine as a ‘food’ can provide up to one quarter of our daily calorific needs. Its intrinsic alcoholic content is rich in calories that boost lipids, glucids and amino-acids which increase our capacity for physical or mental effort. It is also a source of water, which the body needs daily, and contains components that aid digestion thus making wine the perfect accompaniment for food. This is because the natural acids in wine supplement the acids already in the stomach thus promoting more efficient digestive processing of food.

The tannins that are also present in red wine help to stimulate muscle fibre and are good for the body’s general metabolism. They are also carriers of Vitamin C.
Research at a number of universities have published papers asserting that moderate wine drinkers can generally expect to live longer than teetotallers because of the beneficial effects of alcohol on the heart and circulation. Wine also induces a mild euphoria which stimulates relaxation and is calming influence for those with an excess of nervous energy.

So the truth is clear. Moderate wine drinking has a number of scientifically proven benefits when it is drunk responsibly and is a great source of enjoyment that adds to our general sense of well being.

I’ll drink to that!

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